Private hospitals, the Cyprus Employers’ and Industrialists’ Federation, and medical professionals have issued a joint ultimatum to the government, threatening to deactivate hospital beds unless immediate action is taken to address the country’s critical nursing shortage.
The Pancyprian Association of Private Hospitals, Cyprus Medical Association, and the Employers’ Federation warn that without solutions, private hospitals will be forced to close beds, creating delays in patient care and surgical procedures.
Industry bodies demand immediate action from government on staffing crisis
“For months, the Employers’ and Industrialists’ Federation and the collective bodies of hospitals and doctors have desperately sought from the state effective handling of the most serious problem of nursing shortage in the country’s health system,” the joint statement declared.
The organisations note they have made repeated representations through official and unofficial channels, submitting responsible and documented proposals for solving or at least mitigating the problem.
The state acknowledges the shortage officially, with the relevant minister and other officials publicly stating needs exceeding 500 additional nurses.
Despite recognition of the crisis, the organisations criticise the government’s inaction: “No one proceeds with promoting necessary decisions and implementing required measures to address it”.
They cite the loss of another year of nursing school graduates, with non-European graduates securing employment in other European countries that proved more effective than Cyprus in finding practical solutions.
The statement accuses the government of appearing “captive to narrow trade union interests that regularly threaten strikes” and being receptive to “unfounded and undocumented demands from nursing collective bodies that hinder unobstructed patient service and impede smooth development of the health sector in our country”.
Language requirements block employment of qualified nursing graduates
Trade union reactions primarily concern legislative requirements for good knowledge of Greek among all health professionals, including nurses.
This provision currently prevents the employment of nurses who do not know Greek, even if they graduated from Cypriot nursing schools.
The Health Ministry prepared legislative amendments to address staffing gaps, but these are not expected to reach parliament for voting before Christmas, according to sources.
The ministry has recognised Cyprus’s nursing shortage and launched awareness campaigns to attract new students. This year’s admissions to local nursing schools increased, but qualified nurses remain unavailable for employment.
Consequently, private hospitals cannot meet nursing staff requirements corresponding to bed ratios, threatening bed closures that will delay or postpone surgical interventions and create waiting lists.
The organisations issue their “final public appeal to the state to respond immediately with practical solutions aimed at covering the gap as quickly as possible”, warning the situation will evolve from a problem for doctors and hospitals into a problem affecting patients and healthcare quality.
Trade union organisations are expected to respond with their own arguments to counter the hospitals’ and doctors’ criticisms.